Protective wallet for photographic films



Jan. 24, 1967 T D. E. INKLEY 3,299,928

PROTECTIVE WALLET FOR PHOTOGRAPHI'C FILMS Filed Oct. 28, 1965 INVENTOR DEFOREST E. INKL EY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 3,299,928 PROTECTIVE WALLEE FER PHOTOGRAPHIC FI M Deforest Edwards Inkley, Pittsford, N.Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 505,514 2 Claims. (Cl. 15039) This invention relates generally to a package for thin strip materials and more particularly to a protective wallet for photographic negatives or transparencies.

Packets have heretofore been designed to accommodate strips of photographic film within individual plastic sandwiches. These and other devices are often bulky and employ various bothersome and relatively expensive methods of securing a flap over the face of the packet. It has therefore been desirable to provide a packet which is simple and inexpensive and from which strip materials or negatives may be readily removed and replaced with a minimum of effort.

According to the invention, a film packet is provided having a plurality of pockets preferably comprised of single sheets of polyethylene, heat sealed at two edges to a cover. The cover includes a flap which closes over the polyethylene sheets. A principal feature of this invention is the coating of the cover with a layer of polyethylene. Such a coating allows the polyethylene sheets to be easily heat sealed to the cover, thereby providing a simple manufacturing step. Thus, a paper cover is usable on which advertising and pertinent information may be printed.

It is an object of my invention to provide a protective wallet from which photographic film or other strip material stored therewithin may be easily removed and replaced.

A further object of my invention is to provide for strips of photographic film a protective wallet which is simple in construction and which may be manufactured at a minimum of cost.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent during the following description related to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention, and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cover 1, the inside surface of which has a thin coating 2 of polyethylene or other suitable heat sensitive adhesive material. The cover is preferably constructed of paper, allowing various desired information to be easily printed on the outside. Individual sheets 3 of polyethylene or any other suitable heat sealable plastic material are disposed in superposed relation and are heat sealed to cover 1 at two adjacent edges A and B. The sheets 3 form pockets into which strip material such as photographic film strips may be separately placed. End flap 4 forming part of the cover 1 is adapted to be folded over the open ends of the pockets, and front flap 5 forming part of the cover is adapted to be folded over the open top edge of the pockets.

The use of paper as a cover keeps the material costs low while at the same time provides a good surface on which relevant matter may be easily printed. The use of paper also allows the cover to be easily folded to form the end and front flaps, thereby providing a neat package. The use of a plastic cover would necessitate a heat pressing at the folding seams, would be a more expensive material than the paper, and would necessitate a more involved printing process.

Coating of the inside surface of the cover with polyethylene permits the use of paper. The coating is a simple process and allows the polyethylene sheets 3 to be attached at edges A and B to the cover by a simple heat sealing step. Of course, only the edge of the cover which makes contact with the polyethylene sheets 3 need be coated, but it is simple in the manufacturing process to coat the whole surface and to thereby impart additional durability to the paper.

Polyethylene is particularly suitable for the fabrication of sheets 3 for the reason that it is soft and will not readily crease and form abrasive cutting edges which might tend to scratch the negative confined between the sheets. This undesirable condition is existent in known negative walv lets in which the negative pockets are made of materials, e.g., some papers, cellulose acetate, et-c., which will crease and which creases may cause scratches on negatives generally referred to in the trade as wallet marks.

This invention has been described in detail with par ticular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be eflfected within the scope and spirit of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A protective packet for strip material comprising a cover adapted to be folded into front and rear portions, said cover having a plastic coating on the inside surface thereof, a plurality of dividers adapted to be heat sealed in superposed relationship along at least two adjacent edges to said plastic coating on said rear portion, said dividers forming pockets through the open edges of which said strip material may be inserted, and an end flap attached to said cover and adapted to be folded over a portion of said open edges, said front portion adapted to be folded over the remaining portion of said open edges and over the face of said dividers.

2. A packet according to claim 1 wherein said cover comprises paper and wherein said plastic coating comprises polyethylene and wherein said dividers comprise individual sheets of polyethylene.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,170,793 2/1916 Ballantine. 2,188,813 1/1940 King 229-68 2,767,756 10/1956 Niles -39 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Examiner.

Patented Jan. 24, 1967 

1. A PROTECTIVE PACKET FOR STRIP MATERIAL COMPRISING A COVER ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INTO FRONT AND REAR PORTIONS, SAID COVER HAVING A PLASTIC COATING ON THE INSIDE SURFACE THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF DIVIDERS ADAPTED TO BE HEAT SEALED IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP ALONG AT LEAST TWO ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID PLASTIC COATING ON SAID REAR PORTION, SAID DIVIDERS FORMING POCKETS THROUGH THE OPEN EDGES OF WHICH SAID STRIP MATERIAL MAY BE INSERTED, AND AN END FLAP ATTACHED TO SAID COVER AND ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED OVER A PORTION OF SAID OPEN EDGES, SAID FRONT PORTION ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED OVER THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID OPEN EDGES AND OVER THE FACE OF SAID DIVIDERS. 